Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Psalm 119:97
Could this verse be said of you? Do you break out into praise over the mere thought of God’s Word? The Psalmist who penned these words had more than a simple appreciation for the law of God. It was all he could think about! He thought about it the whole day through.
We know that “all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16).” Yet, so many of us keep our Bibles neatly tucked away on the shelf. Or to put it in more modern terms, we download the app, but never actually use it. To be clear, loving God’s Word is more than just checking a to-do list. True love for God’s Word manifests itself as obedience to God’s Word.
The psalmist spoke of mediating on God’s Word. Not to be confused with the Eastern practice of ’emptying one’s mind,’ biblical meditation involves filling one’s mind with the Word of God. Often times when we read the Bible, especially when reading early in the morning, we will forget what we read before breakfast. How tragic! It can be beneficial sometimes to slow down and focus in on a word or phrase. It is better to read a little and obey every word than to read a lot and forget every word…or worse, disobey.
Application:
We need God’s Word. To quote Job, we should desire it more than our necessary food (Job 23:12). Our morning devotions can involve a lot of good things (i.e. praise and singing), but if they do not include the intake of the Word (reading, memorization, listening, meditation) there’s a problem. Likewise, when we gather together to worship corporately we should prioritize the public reading and preaching of Scripture. Last, as we make disciples, we must teach them to observe all that Christ commanded (Matt 28:18-20). How can we accomplish this apart from reading and studying God’s Word together?
The Real Zeal 